


Dear Haru: 1613 Days is a Long Time

by Shameless_Fujoshi



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Gen, Rin/haru feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 16:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shameless_Fujoshi/pseuds/Shameless_Fujoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's a young boy looking to the sky with big dreams, and training for the Olympics isn't as straight-forward as he thought.<br/>This is Rin's journey in unsent letters to Haru, from the day he left Iwatobi to the day he reunited with his friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dear Haru: 1613 Days is a Long Time

**Author's Note:**

> This piece is dedicated to the beautiful character Matsuoka Rin.  
> I'm ecstatic that he's happy again <3

**_Day 1_ **

Dear Haru-chan,

Today I’m leaving for Australia! I’ve never been on a plane before.  It’s really big and the flight attendants are super nice. They promised that once we get in the air it won’t be much different from riding the train alone. Someone will be waiting for me when I get to Australia. All this attention makes me feel like a celebrity, haha!

Once I get there, I’ll tell you all about it!  I’ll try and write you once a week, but don’t feel bad if I miss a week or two, because I’m gonna be really busy!

I wonder what Australia will be like? I guess it’s fall there right now, so I’m gonna have another winter. Crazy, right!?  I’m gonna live in Sydney and they don’t get snow at all. Mom said it’s really hot there, so I think you’d probably dry out!  I guess they have some rainy seasons like us, so maybe you’d just have to come here for those seasons, haha!

I don’t think there are going to be any other swimmers that speak Japanese, so that’s gonna be hard. My English was the best in our class, so I’ll get it in no time! 

I’m kinda nervous, and writing to you makes me feel better.  Sorry I didn’t tell you before I left, but I wanted to keep the letters a surprise because I want us to race when I get home!

~~I’ve been having this thought since yesterday, that I kinda wish you were coming with me.~~

Haru, I’m gonna train really hard, so you do the same!

\- Rin

**_Day 2_ **

Dear Haru,

I made it to Australia! The plane ride was sometimes bumpy but now I’m safe on the ground!  I’m so excited that I can’t even describe how I feel!  It’s like that feeling I get before a race, you know, like butterflies in your stomach? I’m sure even you get them, haha!

I met my roommate today.  I think they said he’s from Korea, and I’m pretty sure they put us together because we’re both Asian.  It’s kind of hard, because we both only know a little English and he doesn’t speak Japanese and I don’t speak Korean. Oh well! I’m sure we’ll be friends for sure once we get better at English!

The food here is okay. Our first night we had meat pie and I like meat but it didn’t taste like _meat_ , you know?  It came in this thing that people called _crust_ which was okay, too. It’s like those pies you get at McDonalds but not as sweet.  They don’t really have rice for meals like we do, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it! You’re such a picky eater, though, that I don’t think you’d like it.

Ah! Lights out! I’ll write you more tomorrow!

\- Rin

**_Day 3_ **

Dear Haru,

Wow…the swimmers here are… _fast_!  I had my first practice today and it’s kinda scary. I know that they’ve been here longer, but I’ve been swimming longer than most of them. I’m sure if I can just get in the same practice as them that I’ll be passing them up in no time! I mean it, Haru, they’re _really_ fast…

Today the food was fish and chips, and my stomach kinda hurts from the grease, but maybe tomorrow they’ll have something more _normal_ , haha! 

Anyway, I’m tired from practice today, so this is gonna be short.

Be ready for me, Haru, because you won’t beat me when I return!

\- Rin

**_Day 10_ **

Dear Haru,

I wrote you some other letters but I haven’t ripped them out of my journal yet to send to you. I’ve been _really_ busy, so sorry for not writing more.

Practice is _really_ hard, and my whole body hurts _every day_. The coach said that’s good, but I don’t know if I understand everything he says.  English is a lot harder than it was in class, and they speak so fast!  I really wish I had someone to talk to in Japanese.

~~I wish you were here, Haru.~~

But I’ll get stronger!  I’ve only been here for 10 days, and I’m learning all sorts of new techniques! I just have to wait until they become more natural before I worry about my time.

You better be training hard too, Haru!

\- Rin

**_Day 31_ **

Dear Haru,

~~I’m really scared.~~

My roommate is gone.  I think he went back home because he misses his family. I miss my family, too! But I also have to get better so that I can make my dad proud!  He’d be really happy for me, especially with how hard training is! I don’t really remember much about my dad, but I know he’s absolutely smiling at me right now!

Now that my roommate is gone, it’s really quiet. Even if we didn’t really talk it was nice to have someone there. I’m sure they’ll give me a new roommate soon.

Training is still really hard, and my times aren’t getting any better.  These new forms are making me slower, not faster!  You’d hate it, Haru, because you’re always blabbing on about how you only swim _“free”_ and now I think I know what you mean.  I think I’m supposed to eventually get used to these new styles (they’re always changing things!) but it’s really hard right now, and I can’t even get a good enough time to compete yet.  I mean, I’ve been here a month! I _should_ be getting better, but I’m not.  

I wonder when it’s going to get better…

Oh yeah, the food still sucks. I could really go for a good rice and fish set, but here everyone eats the same thing so I just have to put up with it.

I’ll try to write something good next time.

\- Rin

**_Day 54_ **

Dear Haru,

Well, I finally made it into a competition.

But I lost.

Actually, I got last place.  Pretty pathetic, right?

I think it’s because we did the relay before I left.  I’m sorry I made you participate. You probably just wanted to focus on your own freestyle, right?

I think I know what you meant, now.

Because of me, the four of us only practiced relay and not our individual events. It’s all my fault.

Maybe being in the relay wasn’t what I needed to feel closer to my dad.  I’m still not sure if I’m gonna chase his dream, but I don’t know what else I’m good at.  But since I’ve been here, I’m probably no good at swimming either.

Sometimes, at lights out, I’ll do sit-ups and push-ups. I have a new roommate (he’s Australian) so I can’t really do much more than that when he’s trying to sleep.

I’m still gonna beat you, Haru, when I go back to Japan.  I doubt they have _any_ kind of training like this for middle schoolers in Iwatobi, so I _know_ I’ve gotta be stronger than you by now.

Get ready. I’ll definitely win against you!

\- Rin

**_Day 92_ **

Dear Haru,

I’m starting to build muscle!  You should feel how hard my arms and stomach are!  My training is finally paying off…I think.  We have another competition coming up in a week, so I’ll be able to tell you more then!  I probably won’t get 1st but I bet I can get 3rd or 4th!

My times are going down, and I’m slowly getting to be as fast as the others in my group. I guess the techniques and forms they taught me really _do_ work after all!  My time still isn’t as low as I want it to be, but I’m working _really_ hard every day.

~~I wonder how fast you’d be if you were training here, too?~~

There’s no way you’ll be able to beat me now, Haru!

\- Rin

**_Day 154_ **

Dear Haru,

So that last competition I told you about, I didn’t place 3rd or 4th. I got 7th out of eight, but at least it’s not last place, so that means I’m getting better…I guess.

Today an Olympic medalist came to school and told us about his journey!  Afterward he passed around his gold medal, and as soon as I touched it, I knew that I definitely want to follow my dad’s dream.

~~But I’m scared, because I don’t know if I can do it.~~

I wish I could race you now so I could show you how good I’ve gotten.  I’m still not the best, but I keep getting better.  Pretty soon I’ll be the guy placing first!  ~~I think.~~

Don’t slack off, Haru.  You better be waiting for me!

\- Rin

**_Day 210_ **

Dear Haru,

I’m sick.

It really sucks, because I was almost at my goal time, and I was supposed to compete this week!

I can’t believe I have such horrible luck.

They said I probably won’t get better for about another week, and that I should rest and not do _any_ exercise!

Can you _believe_ that!?

If I don’t practice this week my times are just gonna start slipping and I’ll be way off track.  I hope I can get better before they’re saying…

That one time when you were sick, you were only gone for a few days.  Even when you came back, it was like you had never left. You didn’t seem like you’d been sick at all! I hope that happens for me, too.

I’ve been out of the pool for two days now and I already miss the water.

I _need_ to get better soon.

\- Rin

**_Day 269_ **

Dear Haru,

I’ll be home for New Years. Be ready.

- Rin

**_Day 281_ **

Dear Haru,

You proved to me that I really am a good-for-nothing swimmer with a big mouth and big dreams.

But if I can’t even beat you, then why bother dreaming so big?

I’m at a world-class swimming school and I can’t even beat a guy that probably doesn’t _need_ to practice.

It’s you that should be here instead of me. I’m just wasting their time and my mom’s money.

I meant it when I said I’m quitting, because I’ll never make it to the Olympics.

- Rin

**_Day 300_ **

Dear Haru,

I’ve been here for 300 days and I’m sick of this.

After racing you I couldn’t get back into my normal rhythm.  They moved me down a group because of it.

I really want to quit, but I can’t until the end of the term because my mom already paid for it. That’s two more months!

It must be really easy to be you because you don’t care about things like time or speed. You like to just _feel_ the water.

Well fuck you.

I bet you told Makoto all about our race and how you beat a guy that trains every day.  Go ahead and laugh, see if I care!

In fact, you _should_ be laughing at my pathetic loss!

How can I ever show my face back in Japan?  Maybe it’s good that I can’t go home just yet, because I don’t want to see you.

You’re such a bastard. You have this talent, and you don’t _do_ anything with it! If I had what you do, then I’d be the best swimmer here!

I'd make it to the Olympics!

But now I don't think I'll _ever_ get there.

\- Rin

**_Day 418_ **

Dear Haru,

I’ve got a new roommate again.  I’ve had five now since I’ve been here. This guy’s swimming is really pathetic.  I wonder if I looked like such a loser when I first got here.

I’ve been training harder, though, because it would be really crappy to be worse than the worthless newbie.  Then I’d definitely have to go home, and I’m not ready to see you yet.

\- Rin

**_Day 525_ **

Dear Haru,

New roommate again.  I’ve now had more than I can count.  I guess there's something wrong with me because I’ve had more roommates than the guy who’s been here the longest.  The others are saying I must be cursed, and they’re probably right.

Why else would it be so impossible to beat you?

That means I might never be good enough for something like the Olympics.

Like hell you’re gonna see me going home with my tail between my legs, though.

I’m not done just yet.

\- Rin

**_Day 837_ **

Dear Haru,

Things are starting to look up, I think.

I won my first 100m freestyle competition.

I think I have a chance now at going to the Olympics.

Now that I’m older, I’m starting to really build muscle, and it makes a difference.

You should see my kickoff, and my turns. They’re even better than before.

If you’re not the kind of guy that builds muscle easily, I bet I could beat you now, so be ready, Haru.  I’m not there yet, but I’m gonna go back to Japan and I’ll beat you so that I can move on.

\- Rin

**_Day 1044_ **

Haru,

You don’t have a chance against me when I get back to Japan.

I’ve been placing 1st and 2nd in almost every competition that I’ve entered in the last few months. I don’t care if you’ve been coming in first for every meet that you race because those are small races. Compared to the ones I’m entering, it’s kid’s stuff.

I look forward to beating you when I get home.

\- Rin

**_Day 1414_ **

Haru,

It’s been over a year since I last wrote you, and I’m strong enough now to move back to Japan. Don’t expect to see me at Iwatobi High School. I’m going to _Samezuka Academy_ where _real_ athletes train and then go on to big things like the Olympics.  You might be able to get in there, but you don’t have the discipline to be a true athlete like me. If all you like is to _feel the water_ then you’ll never stand a chance.

Good luck, because you’re gonna need it.

\- Rin

**_Day 1445_ **

Haru,

Are you mocking me!? Are you trying to tell me that a tiny fish like you can beat me without trying, or have you really let yourself go so badly that the only muscle you have barely pokes out from your bones?

Don’t fuck with me!  That was a _race_. We’re not kids anymore, and this isn’t a game!

I _demand_ that you _compete_ against me! 

~~Because I felt something really light in my chest that I haven't felt since the relay...~~

You must think it’s some sort of joke, that if you just pretend to let me win, I’ll be happy.

That fucking _pisses_ me off!

The next time I see you, I’ll make sure you fucking _get it_ that you’re gonna swim _for ME_.

\- Rin

**_Day 1454_ **

Haru,

After I saw you the other day at that store, you better be working your ass off like I am for prefecturals. If I so much as _feel_ that you’re taking this lightly, I’ll…fuck, I’ll do something that you’ll never forget.

And it won’t be like that “sight” that you’ve never seen before.

I don’t know what I’ll do yet, but you’ll regret it for sure.

\- Rin

**_Day 1514_ **

Haru,

I don’t know what to do anymore.

I beat you but then Makoto and the others had to go and say that I _taught_ you about relay or something like that.

Why does everything come back to that stupid relay?

Because of it, I can’t move on.

And when I saw you guys swimming together, when I saw some _stranger_ swimming with you, it pissed me off so much that I just don’t know what to do. I don’t even know _why_ I’m so pissed off.

Why can’t I move on even though I beat you?

\- Rin

**_Day 1517_ **

Haru,

I’ve figured it out.

I’m gonna swim against you guys on Samezuka’s medley relay team.  With them on my side, there’s no way you guys can beat me. I’ll show you that I’m fine even without you for teammates, even if I can’t get the rhythm of my butterfly right just yet.

I haven’t swam in a relay since the one we did in 6th grade. It’s different, but I won’t let that get to me. Even if I can’t swim _with_ you guys, that’s fine, because you’ll be begging me to transfer to Iwatobi before the competition is over.

Good luck, because you’re no match for my team.

\- Rin

**_Day 1612_ **

Haru,

Congratulations. I got kicked off the relay team for regionals, so that means you fucking won, right?

Well you can go the fuck to hell!

Have a great time tomorrow laughing at me, because my swimming is obviously as worthless as a floating brick.

Good fucking luck with your fucking happy team.

~~I just wanted to...~~

I fucking quit.

**_Day 1613_ **

Dear Haru,

~~I thought you were over me. I thought for sure you would laugh at me. I thought you had forgotten me as a teammate.~~

~~I didn’t even know what I wanted until it was right there in front of me again.~~

I thought I’d never get to swim with you again.

Thank you.

\- Rin

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I can somewhat relate to the isolation and loneliness Rin must've felt when moving to a foreign country (because I'm currently living in Japan). At first it's really hard, and you don't know if you'll be able to make it, and I'm sure he wanted so badly to be able to talk in his native language to others. Especially at that age, Japanese students outside of Tokyo and other major cities don't usually know very much English. I assume it was a HUGE shock to him.
> 
> Also, in the 2nd Drama CD it was revealed that Rin keeps a journal. I imagine these might be a few pages from that journal.
> 
> And FYI, I totally estimated on the dates. Math isn't my strong suit, so forgive me if I'm way off ^_^;
> 
> Who else loved the end to _Free!_?  
>  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending. It was everything I wanted and SO MUCH MORE.


End file.
